U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,455 B1 discusses a fully automated coil selection technique that facilitates image reconstruction with an increased signal-to-noise ratio and reduced artifact presence. Through automatic selection of RF coils from an RF coil array, their invention discriminates between coils in an imaging field-of-view (FOV) based on an index gauge. However, their technique offers only limited possibilities to adjust the excitation uniformity of the RF coil array according to a physiological phase—for example a respiratory phase or a cardiac phase—of the patient. Thus, it is desirable to have an improved method of adjusting the excitation uniformity of an RF coil array in accordance with a physiological phase of the patient. It is also desirable to have an RF coil array with an improved capability of adjusting the coil excitation uniformity according to a physiological phase of the patient. Furthermore, it is also desirable to have an MR system capable of utilizing such an RF coil array, as well as a computer program capable of controlling such an RF coil array.